Electric-switch-operating mechanism



June 2'6, 1928.

-c. D. AlNswRTH ELECTRIC SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM originalFiiedDecfls.1922` zsheets-sheet 1 ,72706712221 Gea-:t1 ,W

2 sheets-.sheet 2 June 26, 1928.

c. D. AlNswoRTH ELECTRIC swITcH OPERATING MEcHANIsu original Filed Deo. 15. 1922 f77 @La o. iM/

Patented June 26, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.v

CHESTER. n.4 AINsWoRTII, or woLLasrroN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR To @EDIT ELECTRICAL MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, or SOUTH Ros'roir, ivriissiicmrsn'r'rs, a CORPORATION or MASSACHUSETTS..

ELECTR'IC-SWITCHLOPERATING MECHAISM.

Orig'inaI application filed December 13,1922, Serial No. 606,678. Divided and this application Ned' March 19, 1926;

This invention relates to elect-ric switches and has particular reference to -manually' and electrically controlledr switch-operating mechanism; and this application is a divi- 6 sion of my co-pending application Serial No.

666,678, filed' December 13, 1922.

An object of this invention i-s to provide an lelectric switch withoperatingl mechanism including means to lock the switch in closed position and tripping means so arranged as to bel controlled by any one or all of a plurality of tripping coils.

A further object-of the invention is to provide switch operating mechanism arranged. for both electrically controlled, automatic operation and manually controlled operation with manually controlled means to. effect the opening of the switch at automatic speed,v whereby to prevent the switch from being opened slowly. I l

The mechanism with which this invention is particularly concerned is adapted to be mounted on a switch board or-panel. The tripping coils are adapted to be contained. in a box or casing which is adapted toform a part of the supporting struct-ure ot the switch operating mechanism and may have various members of the switch operating members mounted directly thereon. Consequently whenever a coil burns out or for any reason it is desirable to remove or insert a coil, it is necessary to dismantle more or less of the operating mechanism before the coil box can be removed and access can be gained to the coils.

A particular object of this invention is to provide a construction `for the actuating coils of an electric switch and the coil box enclosing them so that the coils can be readily removed from the box without disturbing the box or its associated switch 'oper- Y ating mechanism.

A further object is generally to improve the construction of electrically-actuated operating mechanisms.

Fig; 1 is a side elevation oi a face plate for an electric switch bearing the switch' operating mechanism embodying the invention. n

Fig. 2 is a plan view in section taken along lines 2 2 oi' Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional detail through Serial No. 96,057.v

the coil box ofrthe switch operating mechanism.`

Fig. f1 is a view of the coil box as shown in Fig.,3 with certain parts removed to illustrate the' method of removing the coils from the coilbox.

As here shown, the switch operating mechanlsm embodying the invention includes a, face plate 10 which is adapted to, be mounted upon some suitable vertical support 11 by suitable means as the bolts 12. Said bolts may extend through said -support'll and secure to said support a suitable bracket 13 to which a bell crank lever 14: may be pivoted. Said bell crank lever may be actuated by the switch operating mechanism to move a rod 15 which may be connected in a suitable manner to anelectric switch, not shown, which maybe remotely disposed with respect to said face plate- -A pair of links 17 mayv be secured in spaced relation to. opposite sides of said bell crank lever 14 and extend through apertures in said support 11 and facel plate 12 and be pivotally connected with a switch-operating lever 18.l The lowerl portion of said face plate 10 is formed to provide an enclosure or tripping-coil box 19 and the Jfront wall of said coil box may be formed or provided with projections 20 and the lower endof said lever 18V may be pivotally supported on a pin 21 which is or may be passed through said projections 20; Said lever 18 is adapted to. be moved about its pivotal support to effect the opening and closing oi' the switch.

An operating handle 22 is provided by which the switch may be closed manually and,- in accordance with this invention, means are provided which are so arranged that said operating-handle can not be manipulated to open the switch manually. Said operating handle may include the spaced bars 23 which are pivotally mounted on the pin 21 on opposite sides of said lever 18. Means are or may be provided by which said Vlever 18 and consequently the switch operating mechanism may be connected releasably with said handle. Said means includes the bracket 25 which is. or may be secured to and between said barsl 23 of the handle. A tripping latch 24 is pivoted on a pin 25a carried: by said bracket. Said lever 18 is or may beprovided with acam roller 26 rotatably supported at the upper portion thereof and said latch 24 is adapted 'to engage said cam roller releasably; Said operating handle( is adapted to be locked Vreleasably in switchclosed position and saidV latch 24 is adapted to be actuated both manually and electrically. Said lever 18 and the links 17 connected therewith are adapted to be moved outwardly between the bars 23 of said handle by the weight ofthe switch mechanism, or pressure of the switch-opening springs, toswitch open position. Said operating handle is adapted to be subsequently unlockedand moved towards the lett` Fig. 1, to eiieet the re-engagement of said latch 24 with the lever 18 whereby to .permit the switch to be closed manually.

rlhe operating handle locking'means may include the latch 30 which may be disposed ina slot in the arms 31 whichV are or may be.

extended outwardly from the tace plate 10; and said latch is or may be Vpivoted on a pin 32 carried by said arms. Said latch is adapted to engagea projection, as the cam stricted in its movement by a pin 34 which extendsbetween the arms 31 of said tace plate and through anenla-rged hole 36 in said latch. Said latch may be normally spring pressed into handle holding position by the coil spring 37 and said spring may be disposed in the slot between said arms 31 and be supported on a pin 38 connecting said arms. Saidv spring may bear against the bottom wall otsaid slot and the upper 'portion of said latch above'the pivot pin 32 thereof. Y f

The operating mechanism is so arranged that the switch can not be opened by the handle but must be tripped open whereby to release the switch mechanism from the handle and the mechanism is so arrangedthat the act of tripping the switch member also serves to release thehandle-locking latch 30 from holding engagement with the operating handle. For this purpose, said latch 24 isor may be provided Vwith suitablemanuallyengageable means as the pin 40 which is or may be extended laterally on opposite sides of said latch and is adapted to be engaged by the hand wherebyto raise that portion of Vthe latch and cause it to release the lever 18 ot the switch operating mechanismv whereby to Vpermit theswitch to open. K

- Said latch 24 is arrangedto be moved upwardly in the manual switch-opening movement and engage a projection 41 `of the handle locking latch 30 and vthereby raise said latch and consequently unlock the han- Y dle; and said latches are or may be so arranged that the'manual unlocking operation also serves to move the handle outward, whereby but one hand only'need be required to open and close the switch.

It is thus seen that the handle can not be conveniently unlocked until the switch has been tripped and the'tripping of the switch by the manual raising of the latch causes the switch to open atV the' same Vspeed that it Vopens when automatically tripped. This result is highly advantageous in that it Vprevents a slow opening of the switch and Vconsequently reduces the probability of burning the switch contacts and otherwise'causing damage. l

TheV electricA switch'VV tripping mechanism may comprise a plurality ottripping coils; and the mechanism is so arrangedY that each trip coil by itself may be effective vto trip the switch. l Y

As here shown, the coil boxl l19 of the face plate is of more or less triangular cross sec tion and is adapted to contain three trip C Vcoils 45, each otwhich may be contained in a phase oa three phase circuit andjact to trip the switch upon overloads in'their respective phases or one or more of; said coils may be otherwise arranged to control the switch under dierent circumstances.

Said coil box 19 is or may be so arranged that the coils may beremoved'and replaced without removing the face plate from itsk support or otherwise altering the arrange mentot the mechanism. Y

For this purpose, the bottom wall 46 of said tace plate is provided with an aperture 47 therethrough which is disposed preterably at the apex portion or the coil box;

and saidV aperture is adapted to be atleast as great in diameter as said coils 45 where-V by to permitentrance of said coils to and their removal' from said coil box.V Said aperture 47 is normally closed by a plate 48 which is adapted to enter said aperture.

and be substantially flush with the inner face of the wall 46; `and screws 49, or other suitable Yattaching means, may through the flange 50 of said platewhereby to secure said plate to the coil box.

Said trip coils 45 may include the center tubes 51 upon which the coils are Jformed' and the tubes 52 which are adapted to beV loosely received within said tubes 51; and

extend Y the movable core 52a of the coils are 0r may Y j be received in saidtubes 52. Y

Said tubes 52 are ormay be provided with Y reduced and threaded upper portions 58 which are adapted to extend into 'and through openings 54 in the top wall 55 of said coil box. Internal screw threaded standards 56 may be threaded on said tubes A,si'tion 'The lower wall 46 of said eoilbox4 vigore,y eso* 52fwherebytol secure them removablyin pothel top wall ol? the coi-l box and said tubesl 52 are adapted kto be` received removably therein.; f

The arrangement is or ma-ybe such thatl when said tubes 52V are secured in osition in the coil' box with saidi'coilsft tisposed thereabout,Y said coils.A are held securely in position against displacement. Said coils may be removed from the coil box by removing said tubes 52 therefrom and removing the cover plates 48, whereupon the coils may be extracted from the coil box through the aperture 47 in the lower wall thereof.

The switch tripping means may include a tripping plate of more or less triangular form and each apex of said'plate is or may be disposed in operative relation with a tripping coil contained in said coil box. Said plate may be formed with the triangularly disposed slots 61 therein which are located in the apices thereof and the grooved heads 62 of pins 63 may be loosely received in said slots. Said pins 63 are or may be slidably supported in the standards 56 and are adapted to extend through said standards into the interior of the tubes 52 of the tripping coils andbe engaged by the cores 52fL of said tripping coils and raised vertically whereby to raise said tripping plate 60, and trip the switch. Said pins 63 constitute tripodal supporting means for said plate and the arrangement of said plate 60 and pins 63 is or may be such that said plate is loosely, yet securely, supported on said pins and may fulcrum about any two thereof,

rwhen one or more pins are raised. Said plate 60 is disposed beneath and in operative relation with the latch 24 and is adapted to engage and raise the inner end of said latch when one or more of said coils 45 is effectively energized whereby to effect the' tripping of the switch. Preferably, said tripping plate 60 is provided with a spring plate 65. Said spring plate is adapted to engage the latch 24 and may be raised to varying positions above the plate 60 by suitable means, as by the adjusting screw 66, whereby to admit of slight variations of dimensions in the manufacture of the mechanism. Said plate 60 is or may be provided with the apertures 60, which may be screwthreaded, by which auxiliary apparatus as, for instance, an under voltage release attachment, not shown, may be arranged to control the tripping of the switch. in addition to the tripping coils herein illustrated.

Said latch 24 is or may be bifurcated as by being provided with the spaced extensions 24a secured to and disposed on opposite sides of the body of said latch. Said latch-extensions are or may be so arranged that the hi-tchmay be' in elective position tof be actuated by the tripping plate when rthe operating handle andI lever18 are being moved towards switch-closed position so that the switeh'maybe tripped free from the handle and be restored toopen position if an overload is present on.' the circuit con-V trolled by the switch when. the `contacts.v I

thereof are. brought intol engagement.

' The construction maybe otherwise moditledi without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. Electrically actuated operating mechanism including a coil box having an aper` ture in one of its walls through which a coil is adapted to be passed, a tripping coil contained loosely in said box, externally-extended means arranged to secure said coil removably in place in said box, and a removable cover for said aperture, which cover normally comprises a support for said coil.

2. Electric switch operating mechanism including a support, a coil box mounted on Vsaid support, a tripping coil having a longitudinally axial passage removably contained within said box, and means extending through said passage and without said box to secure said coil removably in place.

3. Electric switch operating mechanism including a coil box having an open end, a support to which said box is secured, said support forming a closure for said open end, said box having an aperture through a side wall, a removable cover for said aperture, and a coil in said box adapted to be removed therefrom through said aperture.

4. Electric switch operating mechanism including a box adapted to hold a switch tripping' coil, said box having an opening in the bottom wall thereof through which the coil is adapted to be passed, a tripping coil contained loosely in said box, a tube containing a movable core passed through said coil and aligned apertures in the top and bottom walls of said box, and adapted to hold said coil in place, and means to secure said tube removably to said coil box.

5. Electric switch operating mechanism including-a coil box having an aperture in its bottom wall through which a coil is adapted to be passed, a tripping coil contained loosely in said box, and externallyextended means arranged to secure said coil removably in place in said coil box.

6. Electric switch operating mechanism including a coil box having an aperture in its bottom wall through which a tripping coil is adapted to be passed, a plate secured removably to said coil box to close said aperture, said plate having an aperture therethrough and the top wall of said coil box having an aperture aligned with said plateaperture, a tripping coil disposed loosely in said box, a tube containing a movable core exended loosely' vthrough said aligned apertures and 'said YCoil, whereby Vto hold said eoil in place and means to secure said tube movably inpositlon 1nv said coil box.

.7. Electrcswiteh operating mechanism including alsuppor, a coil box secured to 4'said support, a tripping coil 'contained there- 4 Y mimml8,`Electric swifch operating mechanismV including a coil box having an opening, a

closure for said opening, a tripping. coil con.

Jtained loosely Within said box, and a tube containing a movable core passed loosely-VV through aligned openings in the opposite Walls'of said coil box and said coil and seoured'removably to said coil box, whereby to hold said coil removably in place.

In Ytestimony whereof, I have signed my4 name to this specioation.

CHESTER D. AINSWORTH. 

